A jury has heard former lobbyist Frank Dunlop will claim to have made corrupt payments to politicians in the 1990s on behalf of businessman James Kennedy.
Mr. Dunlop has been described as a ‘significant witness’ by the prosecution in its case against Mr. Kennedy and 3 former members of Dublin County Council and a sitting Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County councillor.
In his opening address to the jury, Sean Gillane, SC, prosecuting, said Mr Dunlop will testify that he was offered a success fee of £100,000 by businessman James Kennedy to make corrupt payments to politicians in the early 1990s.
The jury has heard the former lobbyist will say that in 1991 he met with Mr. Kennedy in an amusement arcade the businessman owned on Westmoreland Street.
The prosecution says he will testify that he was given £25,000 to give to Dublin County Councillors in an attempt to secure their votes in favour of rezoning lands in Carrickmines for industrial use as part of the county development plan.
Mr. Gillane told the jury that James Kennedy had an interest in the lands which comprised around 100 acres and were known as Paisley Park or Jackson Way.
'What the case is about ,at its core, is corruption' the prosecuting counsel said.
The jury heard Mr. Dunlop alleges that he further met with James Kennedy in 1996 and 1997 in relation to a new development plan and that he was offered the value of a commercial area of rezoned land to make further payments to politicians.
Mr Kennedy (66) of Cormorant Way, Queens Quay in Gibraltar has pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of making corrupt payments between June 1992 and October 1997 to members of Dublin County Council or Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to rezone land at Carrickmines as industrial.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county councillor Tony Fox (72) of Mountainview Park in Churchtown, along with former councillors Colm McGrath (56) of Swiftwood, Saggart, Don Lydon (74) of Stillorgan Park Avenue and Liam Cosgrave (57) of Merrion Park, Blackrock, all in Dublin, deny receiving corrupt payments.
